Junior right-hander has 0.34 ERA
through 26.2 innings in 2010

Jose Macias had his program-record 16.2-inning hitless streak
snapped on Thursday against Saint Anselm, but still struck out 13
over eight innings to post his third win of the season.

RINDGE, N.H. (March 25,
2010) – Junior right-hander Jose Macias
(Bronx, N.Y.) started, threw eight innings, allowed just
one run on four hits, issued one walk and struck out a career-high
13 on Thursday afternoon to lead the No. 16/27 nationally ranked
Franklin Pierce University baseball team to an 8-3 victory over
Saint Anselm in Franklin Pierce's Northeast-10 Conference opener at
Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field. Three different Ravens drove
home two runs each in the win.

With the victory, Franklin Pierce
improves to 11-6 (1-0 Northeast-10), while Saint Anselm falls to
3-12 (1-4 Northeast-10) with the loss.

Franklin Pierce opened the scoring
with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take the lead
for good. Sophomore catcher Mike Dowd (East Bridgewater,
Mass.) knocked a one-out double the other way into the gap
in right-center to start things off. After junior left fielder
Mike Munoz (Bronx, N.Y.) worked a walk, sophomore
designated hitter Isaac Wenrich (Westlawn, Pa.)
followed and poked an RBI double down the left-field line that
likely would have brought home two runs, but Munoz was halted at
third after the ball slipped under the fence for a ground-rule
double.

Graduate student first baseman
Mike Augustine (Kingston, N.Y.) followed with the
big blow of the inning, a two-run single into center field.
Augustine would steal second and later score on a single through
the left side by senior right fielder Phil Hendricks
(Pittsfield, Maine). Freshman center fielder Nick
LaCroix (Grafton, Mass.), who had walked after Augustine,
eventually capped the scoring in the inning as he came home on a
sacrifice fly to left by freshman shortstop Dan Kemp
(Sturbridge, Mass.).

Saint Anselm followed with a run in
the top of the fifth to momentarily close the gap to 5-1. With one
out, senior designated hitter Matt Stone knocked a pinch-hit single
to right and sophomore third baseman Daniel DeCoste and junior
center fielder TJ Murphy followed with singles of their own to
quickly load the bases. Sophomore shortstop Mike Garczynski then
grounded one deep in the hole at shortstop for an RBI single.

The first hit of the inning broke a
streak of 16.2 innings without allowing a hit for Macias, which is
believed to be a program record. The run in the inning was the
first allowed by Macias on the season, after opening with 23
straight scoreless innings.

Franklin Pierce immediately
answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to open the
lead to seven runs at 8-1. Junior third baseman Derek Ingui
(Sterling, Mass.) opened the inning with a walk and moved
to second on a single into right-center by Dowd. After Munoz
bounced a ground ball to third base that did not result in an out,
Ingui was erased at the plate on a fielder's choice as Wenrich
reached at first. Two batters later, LaCroix punched a two-run
single through the left side to make it 7-1. Hendricks followed
with his second RBI single of the day.

Saint Anselm pushed across a pair
of runs in the top of the ninth inning to create the 8-3 final.
With one out, senior pinch hitter Eric Simm worked a walk and moved
to second on a single to center by Murphy and freshman right
fielder Rett Ostafin walked two batters later to load the bases.
The next two batters, junior second baseman Steven Panza and
freshman left fielder Joshua Lafond, were each jammed and chopped
slow rollers down the third-base line. Each was able to leg out an
RBI infield single to draw the Hawks within five runs. Freshman
right-hander Rob Blanc (Sandy Hook, Conn.) entered
for Franklin Pierce and got the only batter he faced to line out to
shortstop to end the game and earn Blanc his first career save.

Macias turned in his third
brilliant start on the young season to earn the win (3-0) on the
mound for Franklin Pierce. Over eight innings, he allowed one run
on six hits and recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts. Through 26.2
innings so far this season, Macias has allowed just one earned run
for an earned-run average of 0.34.

Sophomore right-hander Neil Hesek
started on the rubber and took the loss (1-2) for Saint Anselm. In
five innings of work, he was tagged for eight runs on seven hits,
walked three and struck out one. Junior right-hander Kyle Lavin
stopped the bleeding from there, as he threw the remaining three
innings for the Hawks, did not allow a run, gave up one hit, walked
two, hit one batter and struck out two.

The Ravens return to the field on
Friday, March 26, when they make the return trip to Saint Anselm
for a Northeast-10 Conference contest. First pitch is scheduled for
3:30 p.m. at Sullivan Park in Manchester, N.H. Franklin Pierce next
plays at home on Sunday, March 28 against Bentley at 1 p.m.